In Ant-Man, The Role Of Hank Pym Will Be Played By…

We knew that Paul Rudd was going to be the lead in Marvel’s upcoming Ant-Man. But it wasn’t clear which Ant-Man he’d be portraying. Well, we can safely cross Hank Pym off the list, because he’s been cast. And he’ll be played by…

…None other than Michael Douglas. Here’s the full details, admittedly sparse, according to Marvel:

“With Hank Pym’s rich history in the Marvel Universe, we knew we needed an actor capable of bringing the weight and stature to the role that the character deserves,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “We felt incredibly relieved when Michael Douglas agreed to step into the part with the charm and fortitude he brings to every character he inhabits, and couldn’t be more excited to see what he will do to bring Hank Pym to life.”

Paul Rudd is officially confirmed as Scott Lang, and it’s a particularly interesting choice for a few reasons. First of all, Michael Douglas is more Howard Stark’s age than Tony Stark’s age, so that hints that Hank Pym has been around and working on Pym particles for a while. Secondly, that also rules out pretty much any storyline involving Hank Pym or his many aliases, since Douglas is, again, more of the elder statesman than anything else. Considering what a lousy human being Hank Pym generally is, that may not be such a bad thing for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And finally, it’s a major dose of prestige for Ant-Man. Douglas is a respected, award-winning actor and admittedly not generally the kind of guy you expect to sign on for a Marvel movie, just like it was a bit odd that Kenneth Branagh, of all people, signed up for Thor. But it’s definitely attention-getting, and it just confirms that Ant-Man is going to be something a little different from Marvel.